Fish Curry With Coconut

This hot and tangy Fish Curry makes for a perfect lunch on a weekend;     light enough not to knock you out,   but spiced enough to prompt a  hearty appetite.   And trust me it is so very easy to make.

Ingredients :

Fish -  750 grams to 1 Kg.

¼ coconut grated or ½ cup of desiccated coconut

10 dry chillies

1.5 tablespoons of coriander seeds

3 garlic seeds

8 pepper corns

¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder

1 onion

Ball sized tamarind

Grind above extra fine and keep aside.

For slicing : 1 or 2 green chillies slit,  1” ginger sliced thin,  1 small tomato, 1 small onion.

Clean and wash the fish.  Apply  salt and turmeric and wash after 10-15 minutes and keep aside.

Take a pan, add 2 – 3 tablespoons of oil and put the sliced masala and fry for 2 minutes,  then add the ground masala and fry for sometime.

 Add enough water to make a thick curry.  Add salt to taste.  Let the curry come to a rolling boil – say after 10-15 minutes.    Then add the fish and stir gently.  Let the fish boil in the curry for 10-12 minutes.   Keep down and garnish with cut coriander leaves.

Serve with boiled rice and a vegetable side-dish.

Fish Jeere-Meere

This is another dish from Roseline’s Kitchen.  Enjoy.

Jeere (is cumin seeds/Jeera)  and Meere (is black pepper corns/kali mirch)…… .

Cut fish, apply salt and turmeric and keep aside for some time.   Wash the fish again to remove the salt and turmeric and keep aside till needed.  Grind fine 8-10 dry red chillies, 1/4 teaspoon of cumin seeds, 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder, 3-4 flakes of garlic, 8-10 pepper corns, 3 big onions and a marble sized ball of tamarind.  

Season 1/2 onion in ghee and when the onion gets brown flecs,  add the masala and fry well till the ghee brims to the surface.  Add enough water to make a thickish curry; (not too watery but the curry should coat the spoon when mixing).    Add salt to taste and let the curry come to a rolling boil.  Add the fish and boil for approx. 5 minutes.  Do not stir after fish is added.

Serve with boiled rice and a vegetable side-dish.

Fried Fish in Special Batter

Fish is really good for you as it is not only packed with vitamins and minerals but is also a major source of Omega-3 fatty acids.   While many of you may disagree,  I think majority like fish which is fried in  batter.    There are hundreds of way to fry fish and this is one of them,  which is a refreshing change from the normal way.  Care to try it ?

4 Fish Fillets (200 grm each) – (I used Hammour), ¾ teaspoon yeast, 2 tablespoons + ½ cup milk,  ½ cup + 6 tablespoons maida, ½ cup cornflour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, Salt to taste,  Pepper to taste,  1 egg yolk,  Oil for deep-frying,   1 lemon + 1 onion + few pine nuts (for garnish)

 Sprinkle a little salt & pepper on the fish fillets.  Dissolve yeast in two tablespoons of warm milk.  Leave in a warm place.  Sift together half a cup of  maida, half a cup of cournflour, baking powder and salt.  Mix the egg yolk to the yeast mixture.  Add this mixture to the flour and whisk well.  Add  milk and continue  to whisk to form  a tick smooth batter. Add pepper, cover and rest the batter to ferment slightly.   Heat oil in a deep-frying pan.  Roll the fish fillets in 6 tablespoons of maida and shake off the excess flour.  Dip in the batter and deep-fry in hot oil till golden brown.  Drain on kitchen rolls. 

Just before serving sprinkle with lemon juice and garnish with fried onions, lemon slices and pine nuts.  Can serve with Sauce  (recipe below).

Beat well 1 cup mayonnaise and 1/4 cup curds till light and fluffy.  Add 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley/corriander, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 onion chopped and salt and white pepper to taste.  

King Fish Curry

Fish and seafood is the staple diet of Mangaloreans.   I am going to share with you a typical Mangalorean Fish Curry and hope you try it out and let us know how you liked it.   King Fish,  also called Seer Fish or Surmai, is a favourite with many for its distinct taste.   I usually keep aside some good-looking fish steaks for frying and with the remaining I churn out a curry.   

Recipe :  Cut, clean and wash the fish.  Apply salt & turmeric and keep it aside.   Grind to a very fine paste some red chillies (4 madras + 6 kashmiri chillies or use 2 tablespoons chilly powder or 1-1/2 tablespoons bafat powder),  2 tablespoons coriander seeds, 1 teaspoon jeera, 6 peppercorns, ¼ teaspoon turmeric, 1 small onion,  size of a small lime tamarind, 4 flakes of garlic and ½ fresh coconut (or 1.5 cups of dessicated coconut).  It is important to grind the paste very very fine.  This recipe makes a fairly mild curry,  which we like,  however,  if you prefer to have it spicier increase the chilly content.

In a medium sized vessel add 3 tablespoons of oil and fry the masala well.  When done add sliced masala (called ‘shindap’ in Mangalorean) of ½ onion, 1 tomato cut into 2 pieces, ½” ginger thinly sliced and 2 green chillies).   Then add water and make a curry.  Add salt to taste and 1 teaspoon of vinegar.  Let the curry come to a rolling boil (bubble and froth).  Then add the fish pieces (which should be washed in water and after the marinade) and simmer till done, say 5-8 minutes.  Do not stir the fish with a spoon/ladle but hold the vessel with tongs/kitchen towel and stir from side to side, to ensure that the fish pieces stay whole and do not crumble.   Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice,  a vegetable side-dish and some fried fish steaks.

King Fish Steaks Fry :

Apply salt and turmeric to 4 fish steaks  and keep aside for 5-10 minutes, after which wash and pat dry.  Make a paste of  2 tablespoons chilly powder/or bafat,  2 tablespoons white vinegar,  ½ teaspoon turmeric and salt to taste.   Apply all over the fish steaks and  keep covered for 10-15 minutes.   Heat oil in a shallow frying pan and when hot, add the fish steaks and fry on both sides for 2-3 minutes each.   Serve piping hot.

Pomfret Fish Curry

This recipe comes to you from our fish specialist, Joyce Alvares. Since she was having issues with her camera, I made it and photographed it for her. The verdict of all who tasted it was a big thumbs up. Ingredients : For masala : 5 green chilies, 2 tablespoons coriander (whole), ½ teaspoon mustard steeds, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, ½ teaspoon turmeric, 6 cloves of garlic, 1” ginger, 1 onion, little tamarind, bunch of coriander leaves, few mint leaves, 1 big cup coconut (I used desiccated coconut). F or slicing and adding to the curry-1/2 onion, 1 tomato, 1 green chili, few slices of ginger. Clean, wash and apply salt and turmeric to the fish. Rinse in water and keep aside. Grind to a very fine paste all the ingredients for the masala. I powder the dry ingredients separately in the spice grinder and add to the other ingredients in the blender/grinder. Also ground the desiccated coconut in the spice grinder to get a very fine paste. Make the paste and keep aside. In a vessel put some oil and add the onion, when it is slightly brown add the ginger, tomato and green chili and sauté for a few seconds. Add the ground masala and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add water and salt and let the curry boil till comes to a rolling boil. Add the fish and simmer for 5-8 minutes. Do not stir with spoon after the fish is added or the fish will break but gently shake the vessel holding it with two kitchen serviettes so that it is well mixed. Garnish with a few springs of coriander leaves and serve with rice and a side-vegetable.